I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

(Psalm 34:4-6, NIV)

Friend to Friend

When my children were younger, there was one word that shook the house on a regular basis: MOMMMMY!!!! Wherever I was in the house, their cries would reach my ears. I’d usually respond right away, but sometimes their shouts would be met by silence. Maybe I was in the bathroom or on a phone call. They’d call out again, this time a little more desperate, and eventually they would hear my voice in reply.

Have you ever felt that way with God? Like you have cried out to Him and you are waiting for a reply? David assures us in Psalm 34 that God does indeed hear us, and not only does He hear, He delivers and saves!

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way.

(Psalm 37:23, ESV)

Friend to Friend

God used a crock-pot that day.

Not mine – hers.

Her: the casual friend I ran into at the grocery store who looked put together on the outside but was pulled apart on the inside by a heart-wound that dripped of fear, insecurity, and doubt.

She was at the store because her crock-pot mysteriously didn’t work that day. Though it had been loaded in the morning, the chicken was not edible come dinnertime because it was still raw. Her crock-pot was turned on and plugged in, but never heated up.

It was time to feed my people and I was in a rush to grab what I needed. Always a rush.

“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

(Hebrews 10:14, NIV)

Friend to Friend

Growing up, my family was, shall we say, “fiscally challenged.” Nearly all our clothes were purchased from the local thrift stores—with two exceptions: our Easter and Christmas Day outfits. As a child I remember being so excited when those two shopping days would come. My mother, aunt, brothers and I would walk from our house to the town bus stop, deposit a few small coins into the meter when the bus arrived, and off we would ride up to the shopping center!

One Easter outfit I chose stands out above them all: a crisp white, linen-type pantsuit. I had very dark hair (styled at the time with Farrah Fawcett “wings”) and my 13-year-old-self thought I looked AMAZING in it,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV)

Friend to Friend

The whole family had been sick for a week, but our daughter was the last one standing … until she fell. Danna is a very hands on mother of two boys, so when Justus and Hudson were sick, Danna held them, laid down with them at night to help them fall asleep, snuggled with them on the couch … you get the idea.

Both boys and their father Sam were finally all cleared of any illness. Cue Danna getting very sick. But Danna tends to be like her mother and just keep going. When I asked her why she didn’t just go to bed when the boys were in school, her answer had a very familiar ring. “Mom, I

And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

(1 Corinthians 10:10-11, NLT)

Friend to Friend

Recently my teenage daughter asked me for something new. I told her we wouldn’t be purchasing it, and she needed to be content with what she had. Her response was, “I am content… but I just want more.” I laughed with her and told her she needed to revisit the definition of contentment.

Complaining is a universal problem, especially among women. We don’t like our body type, the texture of our hair, the faults of our husbands, our budget, or the habits of our mothers-in-law. We always seem to want more.

Complaining may seem like a small vice when compared to lying, adultery, or murder, but God says grumbling against Him is a serious issue. Consider the Israelites in Numbers

All day long God is working in and around us. It is so easy to simply go about the task of living without seeing God’s hand-prints on our circumstances and footprints on our paths. When we see life as a “to do list” to check off, or random acts of fortune to celebrate or misfortune to endure, we miss seeing God and hearing His voice as the scarlet thread that connects the moments and the days of our lives.

Frederick Buechner noted, “All the absurd little meetings, decisions, inner skirmishes that go to make up our days. It all adds up to very little, and yet it all adds up to very much. Our days are full of nonsense,

How well do you know God? Do you see Him as an “out there” being who is gambling with your life? Is He a cranky old judge, ready to dole out an indictment? Or is He kind and gentle, gracious and forgiving?

Who we think God is impacts everything about the way we live our lives.

Growing up in an abusive home made it nearly impossible for me to see God as a loving father. My faith upbringing didn’t help either, as I believed I had to earn God’s love and blessing. Can you see how that might play out in my life, even today? Ahem, control issues. I always saw myself as needing to defend myself and provide for myself, because I didn’t believe

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

(James 1:19-20, NIV)

Friend to Friend

Learning to control anger is a crucial life lesson – one that we need to master and pass on to our children. Up until my young adult years, I had a huge temper. It took very little to make me furious. In moments of anger, I would slam doors, hurl various objects across the room and yell! I don’t remember anyone telling me what to do with my anger – until I surrendered my heart to God. And believe me, He had plenty to say about it in His Word.

As the years went by, I married and became the mother of two amazing children who inherited my huge temper. It was now my responsibility to train Jered and

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

(Micah 6:8 NIV)

Friend to Friend

When our kids were itty-bitty my husband Brad and I used to hold little hands a lot.

Sometimes it was to protect them from danger, like if we were crossing a street.

Sometimes it was to calm fears or to help them to feel secure.

Sometimes it was because we were on a mission to get through or to a place quickly.

Other times it was for the simple pleasure of strolling, skipping, and smiling together.

Now that they’re older, my kids aren’t so keen on holding hands with mom and dad anymore. Sigh. There’s still the occasional watching-a-movie-on-the-couch-at-home handhold, but it’s a rarity. And I miss it.

I love locking fingers with my people. There’s a beauty and intimacy to it. A tangible

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When You’ve Lost a Shoe in the Race by: Sharon Jaynes My son was fast, and he ran with a fast crowd. As a matter of fact, his entire track team was fast! In the ninth grade, Steven participated…buff.ly/2Eline4...

Father, I’m tired today. I feel like I’ve lost a shoe in the race, but know I need to keep going. Help me to feel the cheering of the great cloud of witnesses surrounding me. And Lord, help me to be a cheerleader for my friends who need an extra word of encouragement today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.